A very cloudy day. The trail up Bandera is super steep for a brief bit, difficult but so short it's over before you know it. Didn't head over to the true summit...it didn't seem worth it given the very cloudy weather we had.

It was an overcast fall day, but the clouds were high enough to see the surrounding peaks. This one didn't have a lot of appeal for me, probably a one and done. Plenty nearby with better trail and better views for similar effort.

Go all the way to the true summit, you are so close! Hiked up with Maddie in an hour and 45 minutes. The incline after the fork towards Mason lake is intense, but short. Once on the ridge,it was an easy walk/easy boulder hop to the true summit. Not super exciting, but a great workout.

I forgot this one but thought I would not that it's a great short hike for good exercise. I did it quite a few times in the Fall of 2011 and took my 50 lb pack to train for climbing Mt. Aconcagua. Very pretty views of the mountains and the valley below! That last part is steep and up an open area so could be hot in the sun.

Decent views from the top. Bear grass in full bloom. However, not my favorite hike. Needed blood transfusion after the mosquito onslaught at the top. Also, the dirt road in to the TH is one of the worst I've been on. Could be a good snow climb though, be back in winter.

As if I wasn't into it the last time I hiked up here, another friend who actually had never even hiked wanted to come up here. Well, ok I guess. Stopped at the false summit, which everyone pretty much calls the summit anyway. Don't think I'll ever be back- there are too many other places to go- but if you've never been, it's a great place to visit.

Starting out as a Michigan backpacker, the elevation change around here is new. Bandera was a good hike to get acclimated to WA mountain weather. Summit was in the clouds so we couldn't see anything from the top, but the trail was well marked so it wasn't a problem.